Games as a Service or Live Service Games as we all call them today. Are games that forever evolve with new tools and features, and grow larger and larger with consistent content drops for months or even years post launch. Players get a constant influx of content, and developers get a constant influx of money.
In theory Live Service games CAN be the best games ever made for both parties. The very definition of a Win-Win. BUT.
And this is a pretty big BUT. What does the current reality of Live Service actually look like. Broken Launches, Road Maps, Hot Fixes, Server Maintenance, Patch Notes, Dev Updates, Dev Apologies, missing features, removing content, disabling content, lack of content.
But no matter what, that cash shop is always fully stocked and functioning without fail. You know Live Service didn’t turn out the way many of us envisioned when we think about the Potential Live Service gaming CAN offer. And to put it mildly, Live Service games have been very disappointing.
And to put it more realistically. Live Service games have been destroying the gaming industry in front of our eyes. Now.
Companies aren’t solely to blame here. They can only get away with things that the customers will tolerate. Micky D’s can’t charge 30 dollars for a McDouble even if they want to because even their customers won’t stand for it.
But. In the gaming Community. Unfortunately.
There’s a large number of people that seem to really like that corporate c-o-c-k…cock. They give into and actually defend these corporations at every turn with some of the most basic cuck responses. And I don’t use that term lightly.
In fact that might be the only time I ever use that term. But if you make excuses for and encourage something or someone to fuck the thing you love, isn’t that the definition of being a cuck? As someone who has been gaming since the early 2000s at a young age.
Seeing the industry decline to the level it sits today is genuinely sad. My gaming these days consists almost entirely of Indie games and my backlog of old Singleplayer titles from Pre-2015 because even good SINGLE PLAYER games these days are rarer than a Honey Tree Munchlax. But ladies and gentlemen, gaming has never been completely devoid of corporate greed or bad game releases.
But my GOD are we in a rough place right now. And there are numerous things to point to when discussing “Where gaming went wrong” and EACH topic deserving of their own video. But the one I want to shine a spotlight on today is the cancer that is LIVE SERVICE Gaming.
And I think it’s appropriate to start with something that’s a bit of a double-edged sword with Live Service games. If a game launch is broken at release, or launches in a state where it didn’t reach it’s potential. Developers are given a second chance to improve the game, add to it, fix it, address feedback and balance issues.
And it leads to examples like No Man’s Sky, or Destiny, or Sea of Thieves which are drastically different from their launch state for the better. But this is also a BAD thing because this means game developers and publishers don’t have to make their launches COUNT. Before the capabilities of online digital patching a game had to be good at launch or it reviewed poorly which means it sold poorly and poor sales, meant bye bye studio.
Which meant companies were almost FORCED to give us masterpieces like THIS in order to turn a profit or even just keep the lights on. But the convenience that comes with patching a game post launch, allows these studios to ship incomplete, buggy, imbalanced, and outright broken games with the promise of Live Service support to address feedback on these issues and fix them later. CDO at Bungie Justin Truman explained in a GDC conference that shipping a bad game at launch is completely intentional.
Or in his own words. “If you try and launch a new Live Service game in the Two Thousand and Twenties – a simple fact is your game is going to suck at launch. And that’s ok!
” Christ… “Launch is not the end of your journey – it’s THE BEGINNING” Notice how he says “it’s a just a fact, it’s going to suck. ” Really think about that… This is the creatively bankrupt mindset of the leaders at these game studios. And why wouldn’t it be when there are people out there who will eat this shit up, defend it, and repeat it all day long.
I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve seen that say “the game just launched, be patient” they’ve already got these dorks parroting this nonsense… And it was only a decade ago when even Day 1 patches used to ruin the reputation of game studios and negatively impact sales at a release. Gamers would tear these companies to shreds online when they heard the words “Day 1 patch. ” But this was back when gamers had some balls.
But we live in a world now where not even the DAY 1 PATCHES fix anything. It takes upwards of a year or more to fix these games until they’re finally playable. And even that I say lightly.
Studios are completely comfortable with “Overpromise, underdeliver. ” Because they aren’t selling a game at all. They’re selling a promise.
It MIGHT be good eventually. And the real plan is to never fully deliver at any point, because if you can keep dangling the carrot and print millions, giving the player the carrot would be like shutting off that printer. So they won’t ever do that, unless they deem it no longer financially viable to do so.
Which leads me into my next point. All Good Things Come to an End. Now this is also a double-edged sword because we’ve all at one point said.
“Ah I wish it didn’t end! I wanted more! And with just a bit more things added, or tweaked or changed.
It would be perfect. ” In reference to either a game or a show or a good book. Whatever it is, we’ve all said we wanted it to continue.
But truly. All Good Things Come to an End. Case in point, The Walking Dead.
Started off strong, kept people interested for a few seasons, then as it went on and on, it became monotonous and tiresome, and it lost it’s charm with no end in sight. The writing each season HAD to be structured in a way that allows for a never-ending story. And what started off as originally a great story, ended up leaving fans dissatisfied, maybe even resenting the time they spent watching the show.
And the same is true with Gaming. If Witcher 3 or Bioshock or Fallout New Vegas didn’t end, it wouldn’t be remembered for being the legendary game that it is. Players might resent it or become disinterested like with the walking dead.
You know. You either die a hero or live long enough to become the Villain. Which is the problem with Live Service gaming.
Especially MMO games or Story driven Looters. There’s usually 3 outcomes with these games. Either you stick around forever, you walk away upset you wasted so much time and money on it.
You’re pissed you wasted so much time and money on it, but you’re already so invested that you feel like you MUST stick around. You have to see it through. And this is what’s known as Sunk-Cost-Fallacy.
And game studios spend millions trying to figure out just how to exploit that weakness we all have. Like Bungie Studios who despite trying to appear like a super progressive forward-thinking company hires several Behavioral Psychologists to aid in creating ways to exploit things like players Fear of Missing Out. So when Bungie goes out of their way to make a Mental Health Resources tab on their Website, it feels a little bit performative when they actively spend millions on ways to exploit players addictive tendencies, create anxiety from FOMO heavy game design, which then leads to burnout.
Three things Bungie apparently wants to help you fight against… hmph… You know I’m starting to believe these guys don’t actually give a shit about their playerbase… hmph. Developers used to think about creating something that would satisfy the player, but now they are being guided to create experiences where satisfaction is JUST out of reach. And then they’ve got a cash shop whispering in your ear “Buying this might fill that void.
” But it doesn’t because it’s not supposed to. The game isn’t supposed to ever fulfill you, it’s supposed to string you along forever. But the thing is, it’s harder to get sick of something that ends.
It’s not impossible (AC Valhalla) but it’s a lot harder. You know, there’s a certain feeling of accomplishment when you actually COMPLETE something and Live Service will never give you that feeling, again, the carrot will dangle forever. There’s a reason so many times you the sentiment of “This game feels like a job” A full time job that you don’t get paid for.
In fact YOU PAY THEM. Like a dumbass. Because just like a real job you might only enjoy it some of the time, but most the time you just do it because you feel like you MUST play so you don’t miss out on finishing the battle pass or you gotta go grind some specific items before they get removed in a few months.
And also like a full time job, you’re on THEIR schedule. You can’t play at your own pace or when you want to because everything has an expiration date. From Items to Earn or Content to Play, it all has a countdown applied to it.
And content gets drip fed slowly over time rather than all at once, so you’re gonna be either waiting around, or hurrying to catch up. And this is why you’re often punished for taking a break in these games. And if it’s a PvP game like Apex or Fortnite, good luck trying to return to these games after taking a few months off.
Because the strict Skill Based Matchmaking paired with the fact that the game is filled players who DID NOT take a break, makes your chances of winning or even standing a chance at winning, pretty low unless you start grinding it like a full time job again. And what this means for a lot of players is you’re locked in to one maybe two Live Service games because there’s only so much time in a day. You can only spread yourself too thin.
Forget having time to play indies or single player titles. Because the live service games your playing don’t want you to. Having FOMO in these games isn’t just so you keep buying THEIR content, but to actively keep you AWAY from the competition.
It’s designed so that you don’t play any game but this one. Not because its SO good, but because they give you too many reasons to be scared of leaving. So you can see the potential problem with companies chasing the Live Service game trend.
The Market is already very oversaturated and it’s hard enough to juggle the time between any of these games for a lot of players. So for a new live service to release it has to be ABSOLUTELY incredible in order to pull players away from what they’re already invested in. Now the problem here is, most of them aren’t incredible, or even good for that matter because they were solely created to chase that trend.
Now the result of this are countless Live Service games getting 86’d mere months after release even though there’s been countless fans spent hundreds if not thousands on in-game purchases. Games that otherwise might have been decent if they had focused on what made sense for the concept rather than shoehorn in Live Service elements. This is probably the biggest problem I have with Live Service Games.
Seasons, Battle Passes, Cash Shops. These three things have replaced traditional progression systems that used to keep players like myself around on a game for ages. I think about the original COD games from CoD4 through Black Ops 2, or Halo 3, or Gears of War.
These games have progression systems that revolved around unlocking good looking cosmetics or earning Prestigious items through gameplay experience. In fact, Call of Duty games had a literal Prestige system that gave you a new icon next to your gamertag each time you reset your rank. And would also unlock extra custom class slots.
Among other things. You could also work towards things like Pro Perks that would be unlocked by completing various challenges while using those specific perks. Camos and Skins that would unlock on XP and Challenges completed with specific weapons.
And in Black Ops 1 there were even COD Points that were actual in game currency, not a premium currency like the COD Points of today, but in-game money you earned through playing. And that could be used to buy and unlock specific cosmetics and one of the coolest parts about COD Points was that you could GAMBLE them in wager matches of Gun Game, One in The Chamber, Sticks and Stones. Now these are Badass ways to progress in a game and engage players long term without the need of drip feeding content or purchasing a battle pass.
And the thing is, because the In-Game progression was so engaging, many players like myself did not hesitate one bit to drop 15 bucks for a new Map Pack that would release every few months. The core game’s foundation was so strong that Map Packs only added to the already great experience. Now you compare that to the Call of Duty of today where almost all forms of in-game progression are completely gone like Prestige, Pro Perks, In Game Currency.
And has been replaced by Battle Passes and the Cash Shop. Sure the content post launch is “free” but if you pay attention to said content you know just how much bullshit they feed you with that promise. For one thing.
Call of Duty games launch with far less content than they used to. A game like Black Ops 2 launched with 15 Multiplayer Maps. And after it’s 4 Map Packs.
There were a total of 31 Maps. And zombie maps and weapons and camos and things like that as well. But with the latest Modern Warfare 2 it launched with 10 Maps.
And has since reskinned 3 Maps from previous older CODs, and only added 2 new ones. Making it’s total 15 so far which is pretty pitiful because that’s what Black Ops 2 started off with. So not only are we getting much less content, probably content that was cut from the base game and just drip fed over time to be honest.
But the progression systems have been replaced with 10 dollar battle passes and 20 dollar cosmetic bundles. And I don’t know about you but I’d much rather spend 30 bucks to get 8 maps, a new weapon, and 2 new zombies maps. Than to spend 30 bucks, on a new Black Cell Battle Pass Bundle.
And this same example can be applied when comparing any modern-day live service to the version of themselves from the past. So when players say “hey just ignore the cash shop” or “you don’t have to buy the battle pass” the problem is that these systems have overridden in-game progression systems entirely. So you either ignore them and have nothing to work towards or unlock.
Or you go ahead and buy into the systems which are objectively less engaging than previous systems and only keep you around because there’s an expiration date attached to it. You’re playing more out of FOMO than enjoyment of the progression experience itself. Because games are now solely designed around FOMO and Whales.
That’s what I think so many people fail to realize. You can’t just ignore the fact that a game is missing content and it’s progression systems in order to foster and nurture these beluga whales and fomo addicts. It’s baked into every single element of the experience.
And this is why FromSoftware games are the antidote to this poisonous design philosophy which is why their games are so popular. Their communities aren’t just made of only elitist sweaty tryhards like so many normies tend to think. It’s made up of people who love video games.
Because when you get invaded or you see another player briefly at a bonfire and you see their weapon, their helmet, their armor piece, whatever it is. You know that that item is obtainable in the game today, tomorrow, next week, FOREVER. And you’re gonna get it through completing some epic challenge or encounter.
And it’s exciting to see things you’ve never seen before because maybe you thought you’d seen everything this game had to offer but there’s always more than you think. And then you uncover and explore areas that may hold new secrets. Now when you compare that to your average live service game like Destiny 2 where seeing other players in the world you might see something cool like you’ve never seen before, but that item most likely came from a battle pass or a bright engram.
Or more likely, the Cash Shop. And I don’t know about you guys but I hate being reminded of Battle Passes and Cash Shops in a world I’m trying to immerse myself in. It completely kills the experience the same way it would be if I saw Cash Shop items in Dark Souls.
Now FOMO Tactics and Cash Shops won’t work on everyone. Because a lot of people realize that they’re just running on a hamster wheel at some point and decide to hop off and find experiences that still deliver an actual video game. There’s a reason Elden Ring, again, sold more copies than a lot of these Live Service companies can even fathom.
It has all the cosmetics, all the progression systems, and all the content. And not one single Battle Pass or Microtransaction. And the best part?
DLC is on the way, and that’s gonna be a day 1 purchase for most of those satisfied 20 million customers. As has been the case with all previous FromSoftware games and their DLC’s. Because making a good game will net positive results it really is that simple.
But that takes talent, and a bit of risk. So even with all these Live Service games flopping left and right, these corporations will continue to invest in them until one of them sticks, and then they will milk it til the end of time. And as much as I wish I could agree with others who say that Live Service games are a fad I just don’t think that’s true as far as at least multiplayer games are concerned.
Remember that McDonalds example I made in the beginning of the video? Well we live in a world now where that’s the reality with gaming. If McDonalds will charge 30 dollars for a measly burger that’s drip fed to you slowly over time, you know, today you get the bun, tomorrow you get the patty, next week you get the mustard and pickles, what can you do at that point?
Well I guess you would go to the competition right? But what happens when the competition is charging the same price for all their burgers too? Well you either pay 30 bucks for a burger or make your own burger.
And I guess making your own burger means Single Player gaming… Now unfortunately lots of Single Player games these days are also Live Service in more ways than a few. I think Ubisoft has been one of the largest examples of monetizing their single player experiences through all the old fashioned ways like deluxe editions and pre-orders, but they were some of the first to actually put in microtransactions for their single player games. And at first it was just a couple cosmetics, then it was loot boxes, then Time Savers and XP skips.
But in 2020 with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla I feel like they really did create a completely Live Service Singleplayer game. It had all the previously mentioned items. But also Premium Currencies, Events and Holiday Events, limited time items, features like icons on the map that are sold for extra, and multiple expansions that cost almost as much as the base game.
To be completely honest it was awful. But people love that shit, so it made them over a billion dollars. Now not every single player game is that bad with their Microtransactions, but a lot of them are in that ballpark.
Even a game like Cyberpunk that does not have microtransactions is still treated like a live service game. Updates, overhauls, additions, changes, balance tweaks, addressing feedback. And that’s kind of cool I guess right?
The game desperately does need those things, for honestly probably years to come as well. But again it goes back to that idea that developers don’t need to make their launches count anymore. Ship now, fix it later isn’t just exclusive to live service multiplayer games anymore.
It’s infected Single Player as well. So the only real alternatives to modern gaming is, indie games or old Single Player titles. Which I’ve been doing a lot of over the last year and have been really enjoying.
And honestly my back log is big enough at this point that I’ll probably be good for quite a while. But if you’d rather not do that, and you want a multiplayer experience you might seek out indie games, again. Or mods and custom servers for existing games.
Now unfortunately there’s also been an attack on a lot of those from game publishers lately. And say you don’t want to do either of those two options. I guess it’s either live with it or quit gaming entirely.
But I would definitely recommend trying options 1 and 2 because you might be surprised at the enjoyment you can have and the experiences found in those two. But I do genuinely think that Live Service gaming is here to stay and it’s not going away. I think the industry will only lean into it harder and evolve it more and more potentially to the point where the industry may have another crash, like the one from 1983 which was caused by every publisher trying to pump out halfass ripoffs of each other.
Which sounds extremely familiar to today. But realistically, unless more people straight up quit playing them, which isn’t likely, they’re definitely here to stay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go play some New Vegas.
